Five gubernatorial candidates discussed some of their visions for the state of Tennessee Thursday at a forum put on by the Tennessee Press Association.

Republicans Randy Boyd, Bill Lee and Kay White were in attendance. Speaker of the House Beth Harwell planned to attend but was unable to make it due to the ongoing legislative session.

Both declared Democratic candidates for governor, Minority Leader Rep. Craig Fitzhugh and former Nashville mayor Karl Dean, spoke at the event. The forum was led by TPA president Eric Barnes, the publisher of the Memphis Daily News.

Questions of various topics were provided before the event by the editorial boards of various Tennessee newspapers as well as the sponsors of the event, including the ACLU of Tennessee.

On the issues

The candidates expressed some of their top priorities to the crowd of media professionals. All spoke on education.

Boyd emphasized the importance of Tennessee’s “Drive to 55” program, which seeks to ensure that 55% of all Tennesseans hold a degree or certificate by 2025. Boyd helped develop the program as Commissioner of the Department of Economic and Community Development.

White said she’d rather bring technical training back into high schools than push for the “Drive to 55.”

Rep. Fitzhugh praised the new rigor requirements in Tennessee for better preparing students for college, but said he didn’t want students to lose the “joy of learning.” He said learning to read early so that students could “read to learn” was the ideal situation.

“I am a pre-K believer,” Rep. Fitzhugh said, referring to pre-kindergarten education, and said he wanted early childhood education in every school.

Lee said the state should work to “attract and retain the best and brightest” teachers, especially early childhood educators, calling it “the key to the future.”

Dean, the former mayor of Nashville, stressed bipartisanship in all things. He stated that the most important issue in Tennessee is transportation, but said he would prioritize funding education.

Criminal justice reform was another key topic of the event. Lee, who volunteers his time to a prison ministry program, stressed that the state should focus on helping offenders reenter society after their sentences.

Dean said addressing mental health problems and addiction in jail would benefit the state.

White mentioned that she would pursue tax breaks for those who hire nonviolent offenders.

The candidates mostly avoided social issues, but one question waded into the power of state and local government regarding Confederate statues.

White said that though she doesn’t like all of American history, she would keep the statues in place.

Rep. Fitzhugh and Boyd said local control was best. Boyd said he would have two deputy governors if elected, and that one would be “the eyes and ears” for his administration among the small communities in Tennessee.

After the forum, the candidates left and Gov. Bill Haslam addressed the crowd over lunch and gave a greatly abridged version of his State of the State speech from Tuesday evening.

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